This is an old Lithuanian recipe a friend first prepared for me over twenty years ago when I had a killer respiratory "something" nothing would shake. It's involved and tastes a tad medicinal until you've acquired the taste ... but it works, I swear by it. Basically it's chicken soup:

1 5-6 lb stewing hen or baking chicken
1 package of chicken wings
3 large onions
1 large sweet potato
3 parsnips
2 turnips
11 to 12 large carrots
5 to 6 celery stems
1 bunch of parsley
4-5 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
5-6 chunks fresh ginger root, 1"x1.5"
Salt and pepper to taste

Clean the chicken, put it in a large pot, and cover it with cold water. Bring the water to a boil. Add the chicken wings, onions, sweet potato, parsnips, turnips and carrots. Boil about 1.5 hours. Remove fat from the surface as it accumulates. Add the garlic, ginger, parsley and celery. Cook the mixture about 45 minutes longer. Remove the chicken. The chicken does not need to be used further for the soup if not desired. (The meat makes excellent chicken parmesan.) Put the vegetables in a food processor until they are chopped fine or pass through the strainer. Salt and pepper to taste. (Note: this soup freezes well.)

I'll often put up some of this before the cold season hits, freeze it, then use it as needed.

I'm sorry you've got this on top of everything. Yuck.

Roadie